Chapter 13: Successful Idiots
"Task"
[Tasks]
[Slay the Goblin King in the Castle] - (Time remaining: 714:40:30 hours)
The clearing where they’d first been summoned came into view ahead.
They were a bit late, but better late than never.
Axel and the others stepped out into the open, their conversation about birds dying the instant they saw everyone’s faces.
No one smiled. Everyone sat together in oppressive silence, their expressions hollow. Only Lucas wore anything resembling a smile, though even his looked forced. Then again, with Lucas, it was hard to tell. The man might have actually been enjoying this.
’But something tells me he isn’t.’
Lucas sat on a small root that curved out of the ground before disappearing back beneath it. When he noticed Axel’s group, his smile widened.
As Axel drew closer, he noticed several cuts across Lucas’s body. But before he could focus on them, a strange feeling tugged at him.
His savior.
"Where is—"
Before Axel could finish, Lucas stood atop the root and let his smile vanish as he stared directly at them.
"It looks like you didn’t listen either. Seems like you got lucky... unlike the others."
A chill passed through the clearing.
Lucas rubbed his chin, then looked over the gathered summoned.
"I gave one important order. One. Run if you see goblins." His voice sharpened. "And yet eight people are dead."
The words slammed into Axel.
’Eight...?’
He knew about the man in pajamas, but eight total? In only three hours?
There was no one to blame except Lucas. It was his fault, after all. His hasty decision-making had gotten people killed.
Lucas gestured to the cuts on his body.
"It’s like my words carried no weight with them, even after you all witnessed that brutality. Insane. Look at my body! Look at me! I got injured running away, but that’s it. I’m alive. My group is alive. When I first lined everyone up, I noticed something. None of us were in terrible shape. Nobody looked too old, too young, or obviously sick. Hell, not one person even wore glasses."
His smile twitched.
"There’s no way they couldn’t run from the goblins. I mean, have you looked at them?! How much stamina can they have with such small frames? My group only had to run at a brisk pace for a minute before the goblins collapsed from exhaustion! Seriously! Why are eight of us dead?!"
A girl opened her mouth.
"Bu—"
"What?" Lucas cut in. "You want to make excuses? Don’t. If your group had followed the one order I gave, you wouldn’t have come back alone."
’Alone...?’
The girl flinched.
Lucas’s voice turned unnervingly detached and cold.
"If someone died today, it was because they didn’t listen."
It was cold and cruel. Lucas was in the wrong. Axel knew that. Yet nobody said a thing to accuse or challenge him. They simply hung their heads in dejection.
’And the man in pajamas did listen...’
He’d followed the order and still been caught.
Or at least, that was what Axel thought. He didn’t know what had happened before the pajama man showed up.
Still, he couldn’t deny the possibility that Lucas was right to some extent. Maybe some had fought. Maybe some had panicked. Maybe some had ignored the warning entirely.
Either way, there was one inescapable truth...
Lucas had split them up too fast. He had sent frightened strangers into danger without enough preparation, and people had died as a result.
’But if they chose to fight when they were told to run...’
Axel looked down.
’Tch...’
Lucas swept his gaze across the clearing, daring anyone to argue.
No one did.
"We’re... back?"
Julia Dove, the girl in charge of the hunting group, stepped into the clearing with her team behind her. She stopped when she noticed the mood.
Lucas forced his smile back into place.
"Welcome back. Gather around, gathering group. We’re sharing reports."
Julia hesitated, then sat, and the rest of her group followed suit.
Everyone faced Lucas, as if the clearing had become some twisted meeting hall.
Lucas looked at Julia first.
"What did your group find?"
Julia gathered herself.
"Not much. We didn’t find anything worth hunting. There were a few edible plants, but not enough to rely on. Cultivating them would be pointless if we’re only here for thirty days."
She paused.
"We did see deer, but they were fast. Way too fast. And there was a jet-black boar, about half the size of a person."
At the mention of the boar, the girl who had returned alone let out a small, terrified yelp.
Lucas ignored her.
"Any injuries?"
"Carlos twisted his ankle. Other than that, we’re fine."
"Any goblins?"
"Thankfully, no."
"Good. Sit down."
Julia frowned.
"What’s with this somber mood...? Did something happen?"
Lucas didn’t answer her. His gaze shifted to Axel’s group.
"Now, let’s start with the successful idiots." His eyes settled on the bags they carried. "I’m curious how the hell you got those."
Pressure settled over Axel’s shoulders.
He stepped forward because no one else did.
"I apologize. We disobeyed your orders and fought goblins."
"I can see that, dumbass. You wouldn’t have eleven extra weapons otherwise."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
"Eleven?"
"They killed eleven goblins?"
Lucas snapped his fingers.
"Don’t praise them. They were stupid. I don’t care how they got the weapons. I care where they got the bags."
His eyes returned to Axel, and he added:
"Start with the direction."
Axel swallowed.
"We went east. We found a large wooden wall. Some kind of goblin enclosure. We only meant to observe it, but they noticed us and charged, so—"
Lucas leaned forward.
"Stop. No excuses. My group saw one too. I assumed it was some kind of goblin stronghold. Continue."
Axel nodded, trying to steady his voice.
"We killed the goblins that came out. After that, we checked inside and found no more combatants."
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
"Combatants? Were there non-combatants?"
Axel’s throat tightened.
He wanted to lie.
But not to Lucas.
To himself...
Quietly, Axel whispered:
"There were children... goblin children."
Lucas tilted his head.
"And?"
Axel looked away.
"We slaughtered them."
Axel expected a harsh stare, but Lucas only looked confused.
"Why do you look ashamed? If you’re going to ignore my orders, then not showing mercy to the enemy is the least you can do."
A small rage bubbled inside Axel, but he swallowed it and let it go for now...
Lucas pointed at the bags.
"So, what’s inside?"
"Provisions. Food. Canteens filled with water. We left the rest behind because we couldn’t carry everything. There were crude tents, more weapons, more food, and blankets."
Lucas went quiet for a moment.
"How far?"
"About twenty minutes east."
"How big was the enclosure?"
"Inside? Around three-fourths the size of a basketball court."
Lucas sat back down on the root and patted his legs.
"Then that might be where we camp tonight. Better than staying exposed out here." He looked over Axel’s group. "You’ll lead us there when the time comes. Names."
Axel straightened.
"Axel. Axel Hart."
One by one, the others followed.
"C-Claire."
"Mikhail."
"Ryon!"
"Connor Manney."
"...Leora."
"Huang Gao."
"...Zayn."
Lucas gave them a thin smile.
Then his gaze moved to the girl curled in on herself, her eyes hollow with despair.
"Now that we’re done with the successful idiots," Lucas said, "let’s hear from the unsuccessful one."
The girl trembled.
Lucas’s smile disappeared.
"Why are you the only one who came back?"